Sunday, September 17, 2006

September 17th in Theater History

1900 The Garden Theatre plays host tonight to the opening of Hamlet. The production stars one of the up-and-coming Shakespeare stars of the era, E.H. Sothern, in the title role. His wife, Virginia Harned, co-stars as Ophelia.

1917 Playwright George S. Kaufman becomes the newest member of the drama department at The New York Times. His beginning salary is $36 a week.

1990 Since AEA gave him the control over the casting, Cameron Mackintosh agrees today to go ahead with the auditions for Miss Saigon. He has also agreed to make an effort to cast Asian-Americans in the musical.

2002 Seussical, a 2000-01 Broadway flop that, in that season, became a critic's favorite target, a musical theatre fan's heartbreak and a child's dream come true, went back to the old drawing board for the national tour that launches today. Co-librettists Lynn Ahrens (also the lyricist) and Stephen Flaherty (also the composer) teamed with director Christopher Ashley for the touring version, which stars Cathy Rigby as The Cat in the Hat.